For Sweet tooth

Much celebrated Pastry chef Mary Chec from US discusses about the art of decorating cakes and her love for pastries.

As part of a tour organized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, an award winning bakery and pastry chef, Mary Cech from US engaged with Indian culinary students and faculty throughout the week at four Delhi based culinary schools and demonstrated the best practices for preparing pastries and baked goods with U.S. ingredients.

During an exclusive event held at hotel Diplomat, she also inaugurated No 9 Pastry Shop. Chef Saby ,was also a part of the event. The two had immense fun while baking pastries and other eatables. Chef Cech invented recipes especially for the occasion that bridged U.S. and Indian tastes, highlighting U.S. ingredients – such as dried fruits, nut butter, and pea flour – that are increasingly available in India.

Many senior officials from the US Embassy graced the event with their presence . There were many noted members from the Indian hospitality and food industry too .One could smell the difference ,the flavours, the sizzling and beautifully decorated food was nothing less but a feast for the eyes and mouth.

“Its an art, only instead of a canvas, a piece of cloth or paper, you do it on a pastry,” Mary said with a smile.

On asking her about her first stint as a cook ,she said”As a young girl ,I was never interested in anything that went into the kitchen. But,one day ,I woke up with this indomitable urge to bake a cake. I gave it my best shot and since then, there was no looking back. I have also had the privilege to learn from few of the best in the field.”

She is the proud author of two published books The Wine Lover’s Dessert Cookbook and Savory Baking. “Yes and no,” she replied, when I asked her if turning into an author was a part of her plan.

She was working in the field full-time when she planned to do something else to expand her culinary art. She, however, feels that Indian pastry is more pudding based and is not firm enough. But then again, she learns from every country she visits. “I plan to try my hands at Indian confectionary some day. The process is different and I want to try that out,” she says.